The invention relates to a driver assistance system and method for outputting, as a function of certain conditions, at least one piece of information, in particular a warning, to the driver of a motor vehicle.
Modern vehicles have a plurality of driver assistance systems, by which a number of different functions for assisting the driver can be implemented. Some of these functions consist of outputting to the driver of the motor vehicle information, in particular a warning, under certain conditions. Such information can be output, for example, by optical, acoustical and/or haptic means.
In particular, in systems for warning the driver in safety critical situations, the conditions for outputting such a piece of information occur relatively infrequently in the normal operating mode of the motor vehicle, and/or the conditions cannot be created in a targeted manner by the operator of the motor vehicle.
Therefore, in case of an actual emergency (i.e., in the event of outputting a piece of information, in particular a warning) the driver of a motor vehicle, which is equipped with such a driver assistance system, may be surprised by the output of the information and therefore not in a position to react adequately to the information. The consequences may entail a number of drawbacks for the driver. First of all, an unfamiliar warning may frighten the driver in an unpleasant way or make the driver uncertain. Secondly, the reaction time of the driver may be increased, as compared to the ideal case, owing to his limited capacity to interpret an unknown or unusual piece of information. Thus, a safety critical situation could be created or intensified. In the worst case scenario, the driver could misinterpret a piece of outputted information and create or intensify a safety critical situation by his own disadvantageous operating reaction.
The invention provides a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, which assists the driver in making a correct interpretation of a piece of information that is output by the driver assistance system to the driver.
The invention provides a driver assistance system for outputting, as a function of certain conditions, at least one piece of information, in particular a warning, to the driver. The driver assistance system can be transferred into a demonstration and/or learning mode, in which the conditions applied for outputting the piece of information are different from the normal mode of operation.
Preferably, the conditions for the output of information in the demonstration and/or learning mode are chosen in such a manner that the probability for the output of information is higher than in the normal mode of operation.
Preferably, in the demonstration and/or learning mode certain parameters of the signal processing process are varied, as compared to the normal mode of operation, by the driver assistance system. In the simplest case, for example, a triggering threshold for outputting a warning signal, may be lowered. As an alternative or in addition, time and/or geometric parameters may be varied; and/or the time and/or geometric scaling factors may be introduced or changed.
According to an advantageous further development of the invention, the demonstration and/or learning mode may be activated in a targeted manner by an operator, in particular by the driver. Preferably, the activation is made possible in a well-known manner by use of a push button, a multi-functional operating element, or a system for voice or gesture recognition.
According to another further development of the invention, all or selected parameters of the signal processing process may be varied continuously or in discrete gradations by an operator. In this way, a plurality of demonstration and/or learning modes and/or different gradations, for example sensitivity levels, of such a system can be actually implemented.
Preferably, the current mode of the driver assistance system is indicated to the driver by, for example, a light in an instrument cluster or by a text message or by a sound output.
Preferably, after the passage of a certain period of time following activation of the demonstration and/or learning mode or after the passage of a certain period of time following the time of the output of the last piece of information outputted within the demonstration and/or learning mode or after the next vehicle start, the driver assistance system transfers automatically again into the normal mode of operation. Instead of a period of time, a driven distance may be evaluated as an alternative or in addition. Such an automatic transition can prevent the driver from changing permanently the parameterization of the driver assistance system that the manufacturer consciously planned for the normal mode of operation.
Preferably, the demonstration and/or learning mode is automatically deactivated or re-parameterized when a high chronological density of information, outputted to the driver, occurs or can be expected. This method can suppress, for example, overwhelming the driver with irritations and/or can suppress a behavior of the driver assistance system that is deemed to be inconsistent from a subjective viewpoint.
Preferably, the driver assistance system transfers automatically into the normal mode of operation, when conditions arise or can be expected that envisage the output of a piece of information even in the normal mode of operation. This method ensures that important information is not concealed by the demonstration and/or learning mode.
The same purpose is also pursued by the following further development of the invention. Preferably, the information, output to the driver in the demonstration and/or learning mode, is slightly different, for example, through coloration in the event of a visual display, from the information that is output to the driver in the normal mode of operation. However, in this case the deviation must be designed to be so slight that the learning effect of the driver is not negatively affected. Preferably, there is a possibility for the driver's information to deviate from that in the demonstration and/or learning mode, as compared to the normal mode of operation.
According to another further development of the invention, all or selected parameters of the signal processing of an inventive driver assistance system that is already in a demonstration and/or learning mode, are varied again, if in a certain period of time or over a certain distance that was traveled no information had been outputted previously to the driver despite the activated demonstration and/or learning mode. Preferably, the driver assistance system transfers automatically from a first discrete sensitivity level to a second discrete sensitivity level exhibiting higher sensitivity. As an alternative, the sensitivity of the driver assistance system can be raised continuously up to and including the occurrence of the output of a piece of information to the driver.
In this way, the different vehicle handling characteristics and the varying joy of experimentation of different drivers can be accounted for. Consequently, a driver who is willing to take risks will perhaps experience the output of a piece of information as early as at the first sensitivity level, whereas a driver who is less willing to take risks may not perhaps experience the output until at a higher sensitivity level.
The invention allows the driver of a vehicle to become familiar with the basic, i.e., qualitative, behavior of the driver assistance system in a demonstration and/or learning mode. The experiences, gained in the demonstration and/or learning mode, enhance the driver's capability of correctly interpreting a piece of information, output by the driver assistance system in the normal mode of operation, and/or of reacting adequately to the piece of information.
DE 103 15 564 A1 discloses a motor vehicle with at least one device function, which is automatically activated at a certain driving speed, which is characterized in that the function can also be activated with the vehicle standing still in a demonstration mode by actuating at least two operating elements. However, the teaching of DE 103 15 564 A1 cannot be applied to the present technical problem, because, according to the invention, no targeted activation of the output of a piece of information to the driver is desired. Rather, only the conditions that are necessary for activating the output are changed, according to the present invention, in a quantitative respect.
The qualitative behavior of the driver assistance system, which consists, among other things, of outputting a piece of information as a function of certain conditions, is maintained.
Another advantage of the invention lies in the ability to use the learning and/or demonstration mode in a targeted manner for product information and/or sales promotion. The functions of modern driver assistance systems are greeted with great interest especially by potential buyers of vehicles. Therefore, it is advantageous for a vehicle dealer to be able to show the customer such a function in the showroom, on the company grounds, or during a short test drive. To this end, one function of the driver assistance system ought to be triggerable with high probability within a short period of time. This can be achieved by way of the invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.